Parties and groups combine to give genuine left a voice
The new People’s Alliance of the Left (PAL) has announced an agreement among left parties and groups to form a coalition to fight the Establishment’s attempts to drag the country into a into hard-right authoritarianism.
In a tweet this morning on behalf of the new group, former Labour MP Thelma Walker has said that:
Skwawkbox understands that at least another six groups will announce their involvement in PAL’s discussions and wider campaigns in the near future.
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Wasn’t this the original purpose of Left Unity
Great news. I hope that they get discreet financial backing from the Trade Unions. Providing that they don’t stand candidates against a Labour incumbent the Trade Unions would be able to offer financial assistance to a member of their own Trade Union standing against a Tory incumbent.
I can see this new alliance winning same former Labour seats occupied by Tories at present in the Red Wall.
Maria, with TUSC on board, that will aready carry some trade union backing. What’s needed is the biger TUs, to come on side.
Nemtona, I hope that Unite and CWU would come discreetly on board. I don’t expect that they are going to make announcements about it but, if a trade union member with the appropriate credentials stand and it isn’t a Labour incumbent, what is to stop them from helping with the printing? Release Trade Union officials for a few hours a week to help with the campaigns?
Reply To Maria V
There is no reason why an independent Trade Union which has a political fund can’t use it for the benefit of any party or candidate it likes. There is no need for it to be discreet. As long as it has the agreement of the membership ( either via Annual Conference or with the approval of its NEC acting on behalf of the members between Conferences ) it can shout from the rooftops that it is backing the new coalition.
The purpose of a political fund is to provide financial backing to any political entity which supports the aims of Trade Union concerned and which will work towards achieving those aims for the Trade Union’s members e.g. better working conditions, job security, no zero hours contracts, no privatisation of functions etc
Once the Trade Unions decide to allocate their political funds away from Labour the party will be finished financially.( its already morally bankrupt)
Furthermore there is nothing in any Union rules that I am aware of which prevent a Trade Union member standing for any political party they choose or which would stop the Union providing the member with financial support for campaigning etc
Starmer’s Labour is not offering the Unions anything in return for their massive donations and has taken them and their money for granted for too long. As the Unions they are entitled to spend their funds elsewhere I sincerely hope they do so and transfer their financial and other forms of support to the new coalition as soon as they can
Solidarity with PAL.
Smartboy, you are correct. However, Trade Unions are cautious animals and my inkling is that they would rather offer discreet support and see if the new Party could replace Labour before making big pronouncements.
Until the day the Trade Unions finally decide to part ways with the Labour Party, any financial support for candidates that aren’t Labour candidates would be discreet.
I agree too that without the financial support from the Trade Unions the Labour Party is finished.
Reply to Maria V
I can’t agree Maria. There is widespread dissatisfaction among TU activists with Starmer’s Labour. I think members will expect, even insist that the Unions political funds ( to which each member contributes a levy) are used to support the PAL and Socialist PPCs rather than going to a Labour party which has turned its back on them and engages in purges against Socialists and Anti Zionists which disgust most right thinking people.
I have never found trade unionists whether rank and file activists or fulltime officials cautious. They are an astute bunch and don’t like it when they are being taken for fools. I think Starmer’s Labour is about to find this out the hard way.
The Bakers are there, Maria.
After disaffiliating from rancid Labour, they have money to burn.
George – How much are you hoping to raise from the BFAWU they only have about 17,000 members.
Would be great if the Bakers formally supported Breakthrough and PAL.
I personally wouldn’t be bothered if they contributed just £10, they represent poorly paid, exploited diverse working class people, who actually as ‘invisible workers’ were on the front line keeping society going during Covid.
But to socialists they were never invisible, it would be an honour to have:
Breakthrough – Backed by the Bakers Union.
PAL- Backed by the Bakers Union.
Wonderful News! Now without the Parasite TORY SCUM Neo-Labour Party infestation and their constant Sabotage, Backstabbing, Undermining, Smearing etc, etc we can start our work! I did not expect this until after the GE, GREAT WORK! Oh BOY I predict some More Crocodile tears soon!
BRAVO! VIVA!
Where do they stand on the scamdemic? If they’re locked in a self-induced stupor, we can wave goodbye to any political representation 👋
#justsaying
Brilliant news though. The work to pull it together and give it good substance (programme, principles, values) starts now.
I can sign up to this 🙂
Will Jeremy Corbyn be part of this coalition, along with the rest of the SCG? If so, then I am on board.
Nicola- I have my doubts that you’ll be able to rely on the support of either Corbyn or the SCG.
Nicola, I suspect an embryonic party would only get support from within Labour once it hits the ground running.
Jeremy, of course, is not ‘within’ Labour – but his loyalty to SCG will probably constrain him on this.
I’d say that the two main Success-Factors to hit the ground running are Funding (discete, as opposed to ‘Union’ – for the reasons Maria V highlights above ) and Membership.
qwertboi – ….and there was I thinking that you were going to fund it from the subscriptions of the 100’s of thousands of new members that are desperate to join you.
Self-funding would happen stevieh (probably considerably), but – with the designed-in threats of FPTP and the synchronised MSM – ‘institutional’ money would be required too.
The key to success of anything is *always* timing – and, to me, it is very edifying that our enemies (well, the DM/Sun/Daily Telegraph, etc ..) are egging us on as obviously as they are. They’re even frightened by our innactivity (or self-control).
Love it!
qwertboi – Here are the very latest poll results for you to peruse. “Timing is Everything”
▪ Perceptions of the Government have taken a significant hit. 70% (+5) of the public now say that the Government is dishonest, reflecting the ongoing scrutiny about lockdown parties in No 10.
▪ More Conservative past voters have lost faith in their own Party with over half (53%) now saying the Party is dishonest and lacks leadership (52%), a significant increase (+10) since our December polling.
▪ A collapse of confidence in the Prime Minister himself has occurred among Conservative voters. Just 19% (-13) of 2019 CON voters now believe the PM is honest, 68% (+17) say he is not.
▪ Boris Johnson vs Keir Starmer. The public at large are as likely to believe Starmer upholds Nolan principles as not, with the LOTO showing improvement since Dec. The public are however as not split at all as regards the PM – just 14% believing “honesty” is upheld by Boris Johnson.
▪ Labour are now polling at 43%, 10 points ahead of the Conservatives and their highest vote share in a Survation poll since December 2017
▪ The public does not trust the government’s current investigation: 6 in 10 of the public do not have confidence in the government’s process for investigating alleged breaking of lockdown rules from within No. 10:
You can find the full details here.
https://www.survation.com/labour-vote-share-extends-to-43-while-public-lack-confidence-in-the-governments-investigation-into-lockdown-parties/
Have you ever thought stevieh that for chreographed performances too timing is everything?
I have. The synchronised MSM even provided year old-stories to let their former-favourite, Boris Johnson, know his time is nearly up and next they want Keir Rodney Starmer.
The audience is arguably more played than the dancers here.
Interesting news, I missed this cos I was at a Breakthrough Q & A and they are great democratic socialists.
THE LEFT UNITED – should just not stand against Left Labour MPs but then again the way Right Wing Labour are going their days may be numbered?
Bazza – I’m more than a little surprised that your ‘Btrakthrough Q&A neglected to mention this important development.
SH – You make another assumption lumpen.
I said I missed this Skwawkbox post because I was at a Breakthrough Q&A session, and for your information they did mention the Peoples Alliance of the Left (PAL).
Because they are good, honest, democratic socialists and mainly young people.
They were attracted to Labour by Jeremy Corbyn but left over Right Wing Labour’s treatment of him and its general Right Wing direction, and set up this party to fight for a democratic socialist society.
I’m going to do everything I can to help Breakthrough who I believe are a breath of fresh air.
And they get the secret of socialism: HONESTY.
I recommend readers on here take a look at their website and/or attend one of their Q&A evening.
It’s £50 a year to join them on a decent income (about £1 a week) or £20 on a low income (25p a week),
Solidarity to Socialists.
Bazza – Thanks for correcting me but I’m struggling to understand why you are getting your knickers in such a twist. Your faux outrage is a little over the top.
You may find some inspiration for your name search here
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_left-wing_political_parties
Just checked my rough working out of figures in my head on the calculator.
To join the Breakthrough Party on a low is income is £20 a year which is 38p per week.
Meticulous honesty dear Watson, meticulous honesty.
Or you could join the only party that has a realistic prospect of kicking the Conservatives out of office.
https://join.labour.org.uk/
Good. But needs a better name.
People DO in general like socialist principles… BUT we’ve been conditioned to reçoit at tgevsound of anythingbsocialist sounding.
The Live long and Prosper Party for peace and justice…”LLPP, pease and chips” (sorry, peace and justice).
Me, I like ‘the Homeostasis Party’. But, that’s cos I know socialism is an enabler of health and balance.
Ben, good point concerning a better name, perhaps using a football analogy (popular with the masses) how about?
LEFT UNITED.
TUSC “genuine left” ? Rabid Eurosceptics to a man (and it is mainly men)